Star Citizen’s Arena Commander Now Live, Watch the Launch Trailer

The very first public build of Star Citizen‘s Arena Commander mode is available today, giving anxious fans a first taste of combat in Cloud Imperium Games’ space combat sim.

Version 0.8 will give every qualified backer access to the Vanduul Swarm and Freeflight modes, as well as the the ability to fly the Aurora, 300i, and Hornet. “If you haven’t pledged for one of these ships, we’ll give you a loaner that is the closest in class to what you fly; we want everyone with Alpha access (or an Arena Commander pass) to get their first taste of spaceflight!” writes studio head Chris Roberts.

Arena Commander also offers multiplayer combat in the Battle Royale and Team modes, though they will only be open to a small number of players at first while the studio opens spots over time.